Sept. 8, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - The first weekend of action featuring all seven Patriot League teams could not have been scripted much better, as the League combined for a 6-1 record in games that contained both dominating performances and dramatic finishes. The Patriot League schedule starts on Saturday when Georgetown visits Lafayette, while Colgate and Lehigh both take on ranked opponents.

Patriot League Football Release - 9.8.08

Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week

Marcello Trigg, Bucknell Jr., QB, 5'11, 186, Tampa, Fla./Robinson

Trigg posted a spectacular effort as Bucknell won its season opener at home against Duquesne, 48-42. He completed his first 14 passes on his way to a 14-of-16 effort for 290 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and added two more touchdowns on the ground. His passing total was a career high, and he came 10 yards from becoming Bucknell's first 300-yard passer in 14 years. Trigg posted a 281.0 passing efficiency rating that ranks No. 1 in the nation among FCS quarterbacks. Trigg claims his first Offensive Player of the Week honor, and the first for Bucknell since Dante Ross on October 3, 2005.

Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week

Nick Magiera, Fordham So., LB, 6'1, 205, Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington

Magiera led a dominating defensive effort by compiling seven tackles, four tackles for a loss and two sacks in Fordham's 16-0 shutout over Rhode Island on Sunday. He also broke up a pass and helped Fordham's defense limit Rhode Island to -26 net rushing yards. Magiera earns his first Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week

Brett McDermott, Holy Cross Sr., WR, 6'0, 206, Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield

McDermott earns Special Teams Player of the Week honors after a pair of huge kickoff returns to boost the Holy Cross attack in a 45-42 loss to No. 4 Massachusetts. He had an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give Holy Cross a 21-14 lead in the second quarter, which came after a 55-yard kickoff return that set the Crusaders up with a short field to take a 14-7 advantage. He finished with 143 yards on two kickoff returns, good for a 71.5 average which ranks No. 1 nationally. McDermott earns his second career and consecutive honor after claiming the last award in the 2007 season.

Patriot League Rookie Player of the Week

Mike Carbone, Colgate Fr., LB, 6'0, 215, Thorofare, N.J./West Deptford

Carbone led the Raiders with nine tackles and came up with a big play late in a last-second, 23-19 victory over Coastal Carolina. He tackled the Coastal Carolina runner one-yard short of a first down on a second down play on Coastal Carolina's final possession, forcing a punt that led to Colgate's winning score. Carbone made five solo tackles on the day.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Posts Successful First Full Weekend
The first weekend of action featuring all seven Patriot League teams could not have been scripted much better, as the League combined for a 6-1 record in games that contained both dominating performances and dramatic finishes. Colgate produced the most captivating win, rallying from a 19-3 fourth-quarter deficit at Coastal Carolina for a 23-19 victory when Ryan Meyers connected with Adrien Schreifer after a botched snap on a field goal attempt as time expired. Georgetown had to rally from an early 7-0 deficit against Howard, scoring the winning points on a 31-yard touchdown pass from James Baker to Kenny Mitchell early in the fourth quarter of a 12-7 victory. Bucknell held on for a 48-42 win over Duquesne after building a 48-7 lead, while Fordham (16-0 over Rhode Island), Lafayette (28-6 at Marist) and Lehigh (19-0 over Drake) all won in dominating fashion. Holy Cross did not emerge victorious, but earned plenty of respect by taking No. 4 Massachusetts to the wire before falling, 45-42, on a 42-yard field goal on the game's final play.

Hoyas, Leopards Kick Off Patriot League Schedule
For the second year in a row, Georgetown and Lafayette will face off in the Patriot League opener on the second weekend of the season for each team. The teams meet in Easton on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the home opener for the Leopards. Lafayette won last year's meeting, 28-7, at Georgetown to grab the early Patriot League lead.

Tough Matchups In Non-League Action
A pair of games against ranked opponents and a matchup with a defending conference champion highlight a challenging second full weekend of non-League action. Colgate will play its third game of the year at home against No. 23 Furman, who is facing a Patriot League team for the first time since 2001. Lehigh travels to No. 21/21 Villanova, a place where the Mountain Hawks came away with a win in 2006. Fordham tries to avenge a 2007 loss when it visits defending Pioneer Football League champion Dayton, while Bucknell travels to Robert Morris.

Colgate's Scott Claims First Record; Yardage Mark Next
Colgate running back Jordan Scott has a chance to etch his name in multiple spots in the Patriot League record book this season, and he already made one record fall in his first action of the year on Sunday at Coastal Carolina. Scott carried 43 times for 190 yards in the game, becoming the all-time League leader with 1,062 career carries. The mark is just 153 shy of the Division I record. A more important record appears to be coming soon, as Scott is 172 yards away from breaking the all-time Patriot League rushing mark of 4,834 (Lafayette's Erik Marsh, 1991-94). Scott currently stands in third place in League annals with 4,663 yards. Scott posted his 14th consecutive and 25th total 100-yard effort on Sunday, both three games away from tying the League marks of Bucknell's Rich Lemon (1993-96). Scott has already tied League records with six 200-yard games and three 1,000-yard seasons in his career. Another 1,000-yard campaign would make Scott the first Patriot Leaguer and only the seventh player in FCS history to reach the feat all four of his seasons.

Biddle Becomes Colgate's All-Time Wins Leader
Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle recorded his 96th career victory in dramatic fashion on Sunday, and passed Andy Kerr (1929-46) as Colgate's all-time wins leader. Biddle already holds Patriot League records for wins (96) and League wins (57).

Sunday Spotlight
Because of postponements due to Tropical Storm Hanna on Saturday, the Patriot League took center stage on Sunday with a representative in each of the three Division I contests on the day. And the squads showed they could wait a day and step up when the college football world was watching, as Colgate, Fordham and Georgetown all recorded Sunday wins. It was believed to be the first Sunday game in the storied history of the Fordham program.

More Success Against First-Time Foes?
Patriot League teams did well in the first meeting against their opponents over the weekend, as Colgate, Georgetown and Lehigh all beat teams they were playing for the first time. There will be two more shots in those contests this week, as Colgate hosts Furman and Bucknell visits Robert Morris in the first meeting between the schools.

Patriot League Knocks Off Five FCS Conferences
Patriot League teams have games on the schedule against seven FCS conferences in 2008, and they've already earned a win against five of the leagues. The weekend's contests produced victories over the Big South (Coastal Carolina), Colonial Athletic Association (Rhode Island), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (Howard), Northeast Conference (Duquesne) and Pioneer Football League (Drake). Lafayette also beat Marist, an Independent. The only two remaining conferences on the hit list are the Southern Conference, with Colgate battling Furman in the only meeting against that league on Saturday, and the Ivy League, who the Patriot League faces 18 times beginning on Sept. 19.

Big Wins Lead to High Spot in NCAA Statistics
After posting a 6-1 record, Patriot League schools are all over the NCAA team statistics leaderboard. Bucknell leads the nation in total offense after recording 537 yards in its win over Duquesne, and is in the top 10 in rushing and passing offense as well. Lafayette and Lehigh rank high in defensive categories, with the Leopards leading the nation in total defense and both teams ranking in the top 10 defensively in rushing, passing efficiency, scoring and total defense. Holy Cross is in the top 10 in both punt and kick returns. The numbers don't even come close to telling the whole story for Patriot League teams, though, as Fordham's Sunday contest did not make it into the NCAA team statistics. The Rams would lead the nation in rushing defense and tie for the lead with Lehigh in scoring defense after holding Rhode Island to -26 rushing yards in their 16-0 win on Sunday.

Patriot League Players Have Strong Rankings, Too
The solid performances from Patriot League teams featured big days from some Patriot League players, and an individual from the League has the No. 1 spot in the FCS in five different statistical categories. Bucknell's Marcello Trigg leads the way with a 281.0 passing efficiency rating, while his top target, Shaun Pasternak, leads all receivers with 166 yards per game. Lafayette's Maurice White is the top running back with 212 yards per contest after his big day at Marist, and Holy Cross' Brett McDermott has the No. 1 spot in kickoff returns with an astronomical 71.5 average. Lehigh's Jason Leo shares the No. 1 place for field goals per game.

Randolph, Scott Still Stand As Top Passer, Rusher in Nation
While the weekly accomplishments are impressive, the Patriot League can still boast success over a sustained period of time from Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph and Colgate running back Jordan Scott. Randolph leads all qualified NCAA players with 290 passing yards and 301 yards of total offense per game in his career, while Scott has top marks in both rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

Leopards Looking to Make it Five
Lafayette won its fourth consecutive game on Saturday, and now has the fifth-longest win streak in the FCS. Lafayette closed the 2007 season with three Patriot League wins, and will get a chance to stretch its streak to five in a row when it faces Georgetown at home on Saturday.

This Week in the Patriot League

Lehigh (1-0, 0-0) at No. 21/21 Villanova (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
Villanova Stadium; Villanova, Pa. - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series Lehigh, 5-4
Streak Villanova, One Win Last Meeting Villanova, 30-20 (9.8.07)
Last Lehigh Win 31-28 (9.9.06) Last Five Meetings Villanova, 4-1

Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen, Gettysburg, 1986
Career Record 12-11 (3rd Season) Overall/Lehigh; 7-5 Patriot League

Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley, Southern Connecticut, 1967
Career Record 183-117-1 Overall/155-99-1 (24th Season) at Villanova

Lehigh faces Villanova for the fourth time in the last five seasons in a series dominated by the road team...Since the teams re-newed the series in 2004, the road team has won all three contests, with Villanova triumphing in 2004 and 2007 and Lehigh winning in 2006...The 31-28 victory in 2006 was the first career win for Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen...Prior to 2004, the teams had not met since 1927...Villanova's only action to date was a 48-21 loss at West Virginia...Patriot League teams are just 3-17 against Villanova.

Lehigh Notebook Lehigh shut out Drake, 19-0, in the first meeting between the schools on Saturday...The Mountain Hawks ended a two-game losing streak in both season and home openers, and Head Coach Andy Coen earned his first victory in each of those contests...The Lehigh defense pitched its first opening-day shutout since beating Davidson, 47-0, in 1987...The Lehigh defense allowed just 125 total yards and seven net rushing yards, marks that place them in the top five nationally...Running back Matt McGowan tallied a career-high 39 carries for 172 yards...It was the most carries for a Lehigh running back since Jermaine Pugh had 42 in 2002...Quarterback J.B. Clark was 9-of-12 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start...His 85-yard touchdown pass to Sekou Yansane was the second-longest in Goodman Stadium history.

Fordham (1-0, 0-0) at Dayton (1-0, 0-0 Pioneer)
Welcome Stadium; Dayton, Ohio - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series Dayton, 3-0
Streak Dayton, Three Wins Last Meeting Dayton 31-24 (9.22.07)

Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 29-38 (7th Season) Overall/12-12 (3rd Season) at Fordham; 6-6 PL

Dayton Head Coach Rick Chamberlain, Dayton, 1980
Career Record 1-0 (1st Season) Overall/Dayton

Fordham and Dayton face off for the second year in a row...The Flyers won at Fordham, 31-24, in 2007 on their way to an 11-1 season...Dayton's current eight-game win streak is the longest for an FCS team...Prior to last year's matchup, the teams had not played since 1979...Patriot League teams are 1-2 all-time against Dayton...It is the second of two games this season against teams from the Pioneer Football League, with Lehigh beating Drake, 19-0, in the earlier meeting last week...Fordham has won its first road game in each of Head Coach Tom Masella's two seasons.

Fordham Notebook Fordham won its season and home opener, 16-0, over Rhode Island on Sunday...It was the first victory in a home opener for third-year Head Coach Tom Masella, and the first overall since beating C.W. Post in 2003...Fordham's defense notched seven sacks and held Rhode Island to -26 net rushing yards, a mark that makes them No. 1 nationally in rushing defense...It was the first time a Fordham defense held an opponent to negative rushing yards since moving to FCS in 1989...The win was also the first opening day shutout since beating Lafayette, 23-0, in 1998, and first of any kind since a 14-0 win over Albany in 2004...Quarterback John Skelton threw for 267 yards, with scoring strikes of 87 and 50 yards...Running back Xavier Martin posted a career-high 169 yards on the ground.

No. 23 Furman (1-1, 0-0 Southern) at Colgate (1-1, 0-0)
Andy Kerr Stadium; Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series First Meeting TV Time Warner Sports

Furman Head Coach Bobby Lamb, Furman, 1986
Career Record 44-20 (6th Season) Overall/Furman

Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 96-47 (13th Season) Overall/Colgate; 57-16 Patriot League

Colgate plays an opponent for a first series meeting for the third time in as many games this season...The Raiders have previously lost to Stony Brook and defeated Coastal Carolina in inaugural matchups...Colgate also plays its home opener against the Paladins...The Raiders have won two consecutive and four of the last five home openers...Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle is 7-5 all-time in home openers...Patriot League teams are 0-2 all-time against Furman, with the last matchup coming when Lehigh fell to the Paladins in the 2001 I-AA quarterfinals...It is the only contest for a Patriot League team against a Southern Conference foe this season, and the first matchup between the leagues since Lafayette lost at eventual national champion Appalachian State in the first round of the 2005 postseason.

Colgate Notebook The Raiders defeated Coastal Carolina, 23-19, when Ryan Meyers recovered a bad snap on a field goal attempt and threw to Adrien Schreifer for a touchdown as time expired... Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle earned his 96th career win, passing Andy Kerr (1929-46) for the most in school history...Colgate was the first Patriot League team to face Coastal Carolina...The Raiders have not started a season 0-2 for six consecutive years...Running back Jordan Scott had 43 carries for 190 yards in the victory...Scott became the Patriot League's all-time carries leader with 1,062, and is now 172 yards away from breaking the League rushing record of 4,834 held by Lafayette's Erik Marsh (1991-94)...Scott is in third place in League annals with 4,663 career rushing yards...He has 14 consecutive 100-yard games, and 25 career 100-yard efforts...Colgate played without starting quarterback Alex Relph at Coastal Carolina.

Bucknell (1-0, 0-0) at Robert Morris (1-0, 0-0 NEC)
Joe Walton Stadium; Moon Township, Pa. - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series First Meeting

Bucknell Head Coach Tim Landis, Randolph Macon, 1986
Career Record 77-85-1 (16th Season) Overall/24-33 (6th Season) Bucknell; 12-19 PL

Robert Morris Head Coach Joe Walton, Pittsburgh, 1957
Career Record 87-55-1 (15th Season) Overall/Robert Morris

The Bison play Robert Morris for the first time in program history...It is Bucknell's second consecutive game against a member of the Northeast Conference after beating Duquesne, 48-42, to open the season...The games are the only matchups between the Patriot League and NEC in 2008...The Bison have lost their first road game of the year in three of the past four campaigns, but did win at Duquesne to begin the 2007 season...Bucknell is playing just the second game for a Patriot League team against Robert Morris, with Towson beating the Colonials in 1997.

Bucknell Notebook The Bison defeated Duquesne to open the season for the third year in a row, and now have a five-game win streak in the series overall and a 5-0 mark under Head Coach Tim Landis...Bucknell has won two consecutive games for the first time since winning the final game of the 2006 season and the first contest of 2007...The 48-42 Bison win marked the most combined points (90) in a Bucknell season opener, and Bucknell's 48 points were the most in a season opener for the Bison since 1926...Wide receiver Shaun Pasternak had a career day with seven receptions for 166 yards...The 166 yards give him the highest receiving yards per game average in the FCS...A.J. Kizekai had 98 yards on the ground, just missing his first 100-yard rushing day.

Georgetown (1-0, 0-0) at Lafayette (1-0, 0-0)
Fisher Stadium; Easton, Pa. - Saturday, 6 p.m.

Series Lafayette, 8-3 TV Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4 and WBPH-60)
Streak Lafayette, Four Wins Last Meeting Lafayette, 28-7 (9.8.07)
Last Five Meetings Lafayette, 4-1

Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, Springfield, 1982
Career Record 4-19 (3rd Season) Overall/Georgetown; 1-11 Patriot League

Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani, Lebanon Valley, 1975
Career Record 46-46 (9th Season) Overall/Lafayette; 28-23 Patriot League

Lafayette goes in search of its fifth consecutive win over Georgetown, and its fifth consecutive victory overall dating back to last season...The Leopards won last year's matchup, 28-7, in Washington, D.C...The Hoyas only win in the series as a Patriot League member came in Easton, 17-10, on October 4, 2003...Lafayette has held Georgetown to 17 points or less in every matchup as Patriot League members, and the Leopards hold a 6-1 edge in League tilts...Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani (46-46) is trying to go over the .500 mark for his career...Lafayette holds a 2-1 advantage in games played in Easton.

Georgetown Notebook The Hoyas came back in the fourth quarter to knock off Howard, 12-7, on Sunday...They earned the inaugural D.C. Challenge Cup Trophy...Third-year Head Coach Kevin Kelly won in a season opener for the first time, with the Hoyas recording their first victory to begin the year since beating Bucknell to begin the 2005 campaign...It was Georgetown's first meeting with crosstown rival Howard, and the first matchup of Division I teams in Washington, D.C. since 1950...Freshman quarterback James Brady hit Kenny Mitchell with a 31-yard touchdown strike for the winning points early in the fourth quarter, and Chris Parker recovered a fumble in the final minute to preserve the win...The Hoya defense recorded four sacks and forced four turnovers...Georgetown has never started a season with a 2-0 record since joining the Patriot League.

Lafayette Notebook The Leopards won their fourth consecutive game overall with a 28-6 triumph at Marist to open the season...The four-game winning streak is tied for fifth-longest in the country...Head Coach Frank Tavani improved to an even 46-46 for his career, and has led Lafayette to seven consecutive opening-day wins...Lafayette's defense held Marist to 95 total yards, making them the No. 1-ranked unit the country...Lafayette finished the 2007 season as the top defense in the country, giving up 260 yards per game...The Leopards posted 430 yards of total offense, with 212 rushing yards and two touchdowns for running back Maurice White...White currently leads the nation with the 212 rushing yards per game...Buck Buchanan Award candidate Andy Romans had 10 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.

Team Notebook

Holy Cross Notebook Holy Cross began its year with a heartbreaking, 45-42, loss at home to No. 4 Massachusetts...The Minutemen scored the winning points on a 42-yard field goal as time expired...The Crusaders had the highest point total against the Massachusetts defense since Delaware scored 51 points in a triple overtime game in 2003...Holy Cross led, 28-14, in the second quarter...After falling behind, 35-28, the Crusaders rallied to tie the score at 35 and then to knot the game up again at 42-42 with 2:22 left...Quarterback Dominic Randolph went 28-of-44 for 249 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while Brett McDermott had an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown...Randolph moved into the Patriot League top 10 in career completions and attempts, and is 13th in League annals in both passing and total yardage...Terrance Gass caught 10 passes for 58 yards and had a pair of rushing touchdowns...Holy Cross returns to action on Sept. 19 at Harvard at 7 p.m.